Mess
by Keleficent
Summary: Mabel gasped in pain. She accidentally cut too deep. Now she was bleeding profusely. This had never happened before. It was going to make a mess.
1. Too Deep

They were fighting again.

"You said it was okay for me to hang out with Grunkle Ford!"

Dipper only wanted to be with Grunkle Ford now. He didn't have time for her.

"You can't keep him away from me! I'm his family too!"

She's family too. Why didn't Grunkle Ford care about her?

"Oh, now you care about family? Dipper could have gotten hurt, Stanford!"

Grunkle Stan has been so sullen since Ford came back.

Mabel wanted them to be together. But they fought when they were together. It hurt Mabel when they fought. It hurt so bad. She can't keep it inside. But she can't talk to anyone about it because she'll only make everything worse. So she let her pain out another way.

She grabbed the knife from under her bed. She stole it from the kitchen a while ago when she first started cutting herself. She usually did it when they were fighting. They never paid attention to her when they were fighting. But the cuts she made in her arm couldn't drown out the screaming.

"Why do you care about having company anyway? You don't even wanna be here! I spent thirty years trying to get you back and you've never even thanked me!"

"I'm not thanking you for putting our entire dimension in danger!"

"Sometimes I wish I didn't bring you back."

Mabel made her cuts deeper. Deeper than she's ever done before.

"For the sake of our dimension, I wish that too."

Mabel gasped in pain. She accidentally cut too deep. Now she was bleeding profusely. This had never happened before. It was going to make a mess. She took off her red sweater with the big pink heart. It was one of her favorites. Now, she used it as a rag to wipe the blood. The blood was so thick that the pink heart was no longer visible. It was just a plain, red sweater now. But she didn't care. All her sweaters were good for these days was covering up the scars on her arm.

She made Waddles wait outside when she cut herself. She couldn't make him watch. He usually oinked under the door begging to be let in. Now he was furiously scratching at the door. It was like he instinctually knew his owner was hurt. When she didn't open the door, Waddles knew he had to get one of the other humans to help.


	2. Clean Up

Stan was so engrossed in the argument that it took him a while to notice Waddles tugging at his pants. "Cut it out, you stupid pig."

Waddles ran back and forth between them and the staircase. They stopped their arguing to address the strange sight.

"I think he wants us to follow him," said Dipper.

"What? Is Timmy trapped in a well?" Stan's voice was laced with sarcasm.

Ford knew like Lassie, pigs can be protective of their owners. He hadn't known Mabel very long, but he knew she was practically attached to the hip with to her pet. "Where's Mabel?"

From the look of concern that came over Stan's and Dipper's faces, he knew they were all thinking the same thing. Without a word, they went upstairs to the attic.

"Mabel..." Dipper knocked on the door. "Mabel, are you okay?"

"I…I'm fine." He's known Mabel long enough to tell she was not fine.

"Mabel, we're coming in." Stan turned the doorknob.

"No, don't come in!" But it was too late. The door opened and her entire family looked in on the sight of Mabel trying to clean up the small pool of blood on the floor.

"I…I was doing arts and crafts, and I had an accident. I…I'm sorry I made a mess. I'll clean it up. I'll clean it up..." Mabel stood up but felt dizzy as soon as she did. Maybe she stood up too fast. The three of them came forward to help the unsteady Mabel, but she backed away from them. "I'm fine. I just need to clean the mess. I just need to clean…"

"Whoa, whoa, Mabel, sit down." Stan was the first to reach her and keep her from falling over.

"I need to clean up the mess…" Mabel couldn't fight back as Stan propped her against the bed.

"Don't worry about the mess. I'll clean it up." Stan was more concerned about the blood spilling out of her arm than the blood staining his floor. "Let me see your arm, pumpkin."

"No." Mabel held it against her chest not caring that it bled all over her shirt. Why had she taken her sweater off? She left herself exposed.

"Mabel, please, I'm scared that you're bleeding so much. Please let Stan look," Dipper pleaded.

Her brother and Grunkle were tag-teamed against her. How could Mabel refuse? She gave Stan her arm.

Stan was alarmed at how fast she was bleeding out. This wasn't something he could fix with band-aids and kisses. He didn't know what to do.

"Stanley, I can help. May I look at her?" He moved aside to allow Ford to examine her. He didn't miss the way Mabel stiffened when he approached her. She was clearly more comfortable with Stan than with him.

Now was not the time to dwell on his hurt feelings. He focused on assessing her wound. It was just as he feared: Mabel nicked an artery. He pulled out the tourniquet he always kept in his coat. It saved his life on more than one occasion. He hoped it could save Mabel's now.

"We need to get her to a hospital." Ford kept calm to avoid frightening the children. Even after all these years, he knew how to communicate non-verbally with his twin. He gave Stan a look that was enough to convey how serious this was.

"Alright, pumpkin, we're gonna pay a visit to the doctor."

"But you hate doctors, Grunkle Stan." Mabel felt Stan's arms slide under her. She was lifted bridal-style. "They'll take your money."

"It's okay, pumpkin. I'll make it up for it with artificially-raised prices." Stan tried to act as naturally as possible. But money was the least of his concerns right now.


	3. Better Off

Dipper hopped in the backseat first. Stan laid Mabel down with her head on Dipper's lap.

Stan got in the driver's seat and started the engine. He waited for Ford to get in the passenger seat but was surprised when he sat next to the kids instead. Stan took off while avoiding the temptation to take his eyes off the road to check on his niece.

Ford held Mabel's hand both to keep her wound elevated and provide her some comfort. He was trying to stay objective, but the girl moaning in pain evoked pity from him.

"Dipper, I don't feel so good."

"It's okay, Mabel." Dipper stroked her hair like their mother would do when trying to soothe them. "You'll be okay. Right, Grunkle Ford?"

"Of course, dear, you'll be alright."

Mabel felt a burning in the back of her throat. Ford realized what Mabel was about to do and quickly turned her on her side so she could vomit all over the car floor.

"Oh no. Grunkle Stan, I…I'm so sorry."

"Mabel, it's okay. Don't worry about it." Stan was too concerned about Mabel's worsening condition to worry about what he once considered his prized possession. He could replace the interior. He could replace the entire car if he had to. He could never replace his Mabel.

"I made another mess." Mabel thought about the blood that was soaking through the wooden floors in the Mystery Shack's attic. "I ruined your car. I ruined everything."

"Mabel, what are you talking about?" Dipper asked.

"You're all better off without me. You should just let me-"

"MABEL PINES, DON'T YOU DARE FINISH THAT SENTENCE!" Ford bellowed. His sudden outburst shocked and startled everyone in the car, including himself.

Mabel looked up at him terrified and on the verge of crying. Ford gathered himself and softened his voice while attempting a reassuring smile. "I…I just mean…you shouldn't speak. Just try to rest, okay?"

They rode the rest of the way in silence. None of them dared to ask or even think about what Mabel would have said if she had been allowed to finish her sentence.


	4. Don't Leave Me

"Wait, they can't come with me?" When Mabel arrived at the hospital, they placed her on a gurney and told her family to wait outside.

"They're going to wait right out here," the doctor said as gently as possible.

"No, Grunkle Stan, don't let them take me away." Mabel remained relatively calm up to this point, but she didn't want to be separated from her family.

"We'll see you soon, pumpkin." The look on Stan's face made her think they might not.

"Dipper, don't leave me!"

"I have to go with her. They can't separate us." Dipper tried to follow his twin but Stan grabbed him. "Let me go, Grunkle Stan! She needs me!"

"Mabel needs you be strong," Stan said as much to himself as he did to Dipper.

"Dipper! Grunkle Stan! Please!"

Dipper's knees gave out from under him, and Stan lowered them both to the ground. Dipper put his face in his hands with Stan never letting go of him. Ford put his hands on his brother's trembling shoulders as Mabel was taken out of their sight. They both knew they were doing what was best for Mabel, but that didn't stop Mabel's pleas to them from piercing them like a hot knife.

The doctors tried to calm Mabel down, but she wasn't having it. They seemed nice, but they were still strangers. "I want my Grunkle. I want my brother."

"Sweetheart, we're going to take good care of you. And then you can see your family."

"I want them now." Mabel tried to be assertive, but she was getting sleepy. One of the doctors put an oxygen mask over her face. "Dipper…Grunkle Stan…"

Before she lost consciousness, she made one final plea for her family. She wanted someone, anyone familiar. "Grunkle Ford…"


	5. Jealous

The Pines family sat in the waiting room awaiting the news of their beloved Mabel. Dipper was leaning against Stan who had his arm around the boy's shoulders.

Ford had excused himself to go to the restroom. He splashed water on his face. He stared at his reflection a moment before supporting himself by holding the edges of the sink. If he was gonna break down, he needed to make sure he did it in private.

"Sixer, you alright?"

Ford jumped at Stan's voice. He was too worn out to scold him for sneaking up on him. Ford's mind bade him to give the noncommittal "I'm fine" but found he couldn't even do that.

"I know we're not on the best of terms, but I'm still here if you need to talk," said Stan.

"I'm a terrible person." Ford didn't know what else to say, so he might as well try the truth. "Mabel's hurt and afraid, and…"

"And what?"

"And all I can think about is…she didn't call for me."

"Ford…"

"I know. I know, Stanley. I'm horrible. I'm selfish. I'm heartless. I see you and Dipper falling apart, and all I can do is feel jealous that Dipper turns to you for comfort instead of me."

"Ford, it's okay. I know how you feel. When you were patching Mabel up, I should have just been grateful that someone knew what to do. But I was jealous that you could help her and I couldn't. Of all the times for me to be jealous of you, I was jealous that you saved Mabel's life instead of me."

"I didn't save her on my own. I don't know where the hospital is. And I haven't driven a car in decades. Every second counted. If you hadn't gotten us here as quickly as you did, we might not have made it in time."

"Heh, and you used to give me grief about my driving."

"I never imagined your crazy driving would save someone instead of killing them." Ford gave him a playful punch in the arm, and they shared a much-needed laugh. They were relieved to give their antagonism towards each other a rest, at least for the time being.

"We should get back to Dipper," said Ford.

"Yeah, I promised I wouldn't be gone long."

They left the bathroom to find a female doctor talking to Dipper. He was smiling. "Grunkle Stan, Grunkle Ford, this is Mabel's doctor. She said Mabel's gonna be okay."

"I'm Dr. Samson. As I told Dipper, Mabel is in stable condition. But I do need to speak to Mabel's guardian privately."

"Oh," said Ford. "That would be Stan-"

"Both of us," said Stan.

Ford gave his brother a surprised look before smiling in gratitude. "Dipper, why don't you get something to eat?"

"Okay." Dipper resented being kept out of the loop but did as his uncle said and went to the cafeteria.

"Like I said, Mabel is in no immediate danger, but there's another problem that needs addressing. How did Mabel say she injured herself?" Dr. Samson asked.

"She said it was an accident. She cut herself doing art and crafts. Why?" Stan could have sworn he already told the doctor this.

"Has Mabel been suffering from depression lately?"

"Mabel? She's the happiest girl I've ever met," said Ford.

"Has she been wearing long-sleeved shirts lately?"

"Mabel always wears sweaters. She loves them. What does this have to do with anything?" Stan was annoyed by this seemingly pointless line of questioning.

"When we cleaned the blood off her arm, we noticed she had multiple scars on her arm. We believe they were self-inflicted."

Stan's breath hitched. Mabel, his sweet, happy-go-lucky Mabel, had been harming herself right under his nose. "And the cut that got her here, was that…?"

"She may have cut too deep by accident," said Dr. Samson. "But those who commit self-harm are at high risk for suicide."

Ford thought back to what Mabel said in the car. She thought they were better off without her. That they should just let her… "Oh God. No."

"We can discuss psychiatric options for Mabel later. Right now, your love and support is the best start. It's important that you don't press her too hard or guilt her, or it could worsen her mental state," said Dr. Samson.

"Yes, we understand. We'll do whatever it takes to help her," said Ford.

"Can we see her now?" Stan asked.

"You may. She's in room 618. She's sleeping. Just let her wake up on her own."

"We will. Thank you." Ford said as she shook both their hands again before she left.

"I need to talk to Dipper first, explain things. Why don't you go ahead?" Stan suggested.

"You'll let me be alone with her?"

Stan gave him a watery smile. "You're her family too, aren't you?"


	6. Complete

As the doctor said, Mabel was fast asleep. Ford finally got the chance to examine the scars that littered both her arms. He traced his fingers across the scars. He was no stranger to scars. He had plenty of them himself. But it disturbed him that Mabel gave these scars to herself.

Mabel opened her eyes a slit to see a familiar face up above her. "Grunkle Stan?"

"Uh, no, dear. It's Ford."

"Oh." Mabel failed to conceal her disappointment, driving another knife into Ford. She realized that her scarred arms were out in the open. She put her arms under the blanket hoping Ford didn't notice.

"Where's Dipper?"

"He's with Stan."

"Oh, well, what are you doing here?"

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't I be here?"

"Because you're always with Dipper. You don't even like me." Oops, she hadn't meant to say that. The medication must be hindering her mental filter.

"What? Mabel, why on earth would you think that? Is that why you've been hurting yourself?" Ford put a hand over his mouth. He hadn't meant to say that.

"You…you know?"

It was too late to play dumb now. "Yes."

"Grunkle Stan…and Dipper?"

"They know too."

"No…no…no…no…no…no." Mabel turned away from Ford and curled into herself.

"Mabel, sweetheart, it's alright. We just want to help. I know we haven't known each other long, but I care about you. I care about you just as much as I do Dipper. I'm sorry if I made you feel otherwise."

"I thought you were mad at me." Mabel still didn't turn around, but at least she was speaking now.

"Why would I be, dear?"

"You're mad at Grunkle Stan for bringing you here. If I had pressed the button, you wouldn't have come back. It's my fault that everybody's mad at each other."

"Oh, Mabel, Stan and I have had issues since long before you were born. That's between us." Ford put his hand on her shoulder.

"It's not that I don't want to be here. It's just that me being here has put our world in danger, put my family in danger." She didn't respond, so Ford continued.

"But I am here. And despite the circumstances that brought us here, I've been so happy to get to know you kids. That's why I'm so desperate to keep you safe from Bill. If anything happened to you…" Ford's shoulders slumped. It wasn't working. Mabel wanted nothing to do with him.

"But as happy as you've made me, I've made your life miserable. I wish more than ever that I never came into your life and caused you so much pain."

Mabel finally turned around to look at her uncle. Ford always seemed so confident, but now he looked so sad and downcast. Maybe he did care about her after all.

"No, Grunkle Ford, I didn't mean to make you blame yourself. I was sad because I do like you, and I want to spend more time with you. I don't care if you being here is dangerous. I'm glad I got to know you too."

Ford tenderly brushed Mabel's hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear before kissing her forehead. "I love you, Mabel Pines. No more or less than Dipper. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Grunkle Ford." Mabel flashed Ford her endearing, goofy grin.

Mabel's face turned serious when she noticed her other uncle and brother were standing in the doorway. "Dipper…Grunkle Stan…"

"How are you feeling, pumpkin?" Stan crouched next to Mabel's bed.

"Okay." Mabel twiddled with her fingers. "I'm sorry for all this Grunkle Stan."

"I don't wanna hear another apology out of you, young lady. All I care about is making sure you're happy. Everything else can take a hike."

"Thanks, Grunkle Stan." Mabel glanced over at her brother. He was looking at her like she was a bomb about to go off any second. "Dipper? Dipper, please say something."

"I'm the worst brother ever."

"Except that."

"How could I not have known?"

"Don't blame yourself. I'm very crafty. And you are pretty stupid."

"Not as stupid as you, dum-dum." Dipper joined in on the jest.

"Awkward sibling hug?" Mabel opened her arms.

"Awkward sibling hug." Dipper wrapped his arms around Mabel.

"Pat. Pat." They said in unison.

They didn't break the hug right away. Dipper opted to rest his face against Mabel's chest while she rested hers in Dipper's hair. The elder Pines twins smiled at the display before them. It reminded them of much simpler and happier time in their own lives.

"Awkward family hug?" Mabel asked.

"Awkward family hug." Stan took the kids in his arms.

"Awkward family hug." Ford came in as the final piece of the puzzle. They were now complete.


End file.
